Storage battery clip



1933- J. M. RICHARDSON 6 STORAGE BATTERY CLIP Filed July 21, 1931 gwuq/wtwz JAMES M. RICHARDSON Patented Dec. 5,. 1933 iJNrri: STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

Storage battery clips used for charging or testing the battery, usually embody toothed jaws, the teeth biting. into the terminal post of the battery. Manifestly, only the apices of the teeth engage the terminals; consequently, a

very limited surface area is available for contact, with resultant loss of conductivity. Additionally, the purchase of the jaws on the terminals is insecure rendering the clip liable to casual displacement. I have found by experiment that spring jaws formed to complement the contour of the battery terminal post augments conductivity and eliminates possibility of casually displacing the clip. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a clip which uninterruptedly embraces the terminal post throughout more than half of the circumference of the latter and which may be readily engaged with and removed from the terminal, 2G-at the same time effecting positive engagement to prevent accidental removal of the clip from the terminal.

It is likewise an object of this invention to provide a one-piece spring clip which may be connected to the conducting cable and terminal post without the use of additional parts other than the conventional means used for connecting the cable to the clip.

In the present invention it is a further object 'to use twin clips, one on each end of the conducting cable, to permit engagement of either end of the cable with the battery terminal, or charging line.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description of the present preferred form of invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of twin charging clips constructed in accordance with the present invention, the clips being connected by a conducting cable and being engaged with a storage battery and charging board, to illustrate the application of the invention, the battery and board being fragmentarily shown;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a clip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clip.

The clip constructed in accordance with my invention is preferably composed of a single strand of acid-resisting metal. One end of the strand is formed to provide a hook 5, the bill, or jaw 6 of which is adapted to embrace a battery terminal post 7. The hook 5 issues into a bar 8, the latter being convoluted to provide a spring 9, one endof the spring being extended into a second bar, designated 10. The latter extends in parallelism with the bar 8 and is reversely folded upon itself at the free end of the hook bill or jaw 6, the reversely folded portion being arranged in parallel relation to the bar 10 and terminating in an eye 11 at a point just beyond the spring 9. The eye 11 is adapted for engagement with a conducting cable 11, in a manner more particularly hereinafter set forth. It will be noted that the hook 5 straddles the intermediate portion of the clip body, which is formed by reversely folding the bar 10, the reversely folded terminals providing a jaw 12 of arcuate configuration, which is opposed to the bill or jaw 6 of the hook 5. The bill 6 of the hook serves as a jaw to co-act with the jaw 12. By making the jaw 12 of arcuate configuration, it also conforms to the contour of the terminals 7 and snugly embraces the same, as shown to advantage in Fig. 1.

Preferably the adjacent faces of the jaw or hill 6 and the jaw 12 are roughened, as indicated at 13, in Fig. 4, to insure positive contact of the clip with the storage battery terminals. Should the terminals be encased in a corrosive film, as is some times the case, the clip after having been engaged with the terminal, in an obvious manner, may be oscillated thereabout in order that the roughened portions of the jaw will bite through the corrosion and effect a good contact with the battery terminal post.

It will be noted that the spring 9 is remote from the jaws 6 and 12 to avoid possibility of the spring coming in contact with the sulphuric acid, or the direct fumes of the acid during the charging operation. It is furthermore to be noted that the clip is constructed of one piece, not only decreasing the cost of manufacture to a minimum, but further eliminating connections between two metals, which connections are undesirable in this art, in that they form habitats for corrosive materials. A portion of theclip which is attached to the conducting cable 11 is extended beyond the spring 9 to facilitate engagement or removal of the clip when desired. Here again an extra part is eliminated in that an eye is formed at one end of the'clip to which the cable 11 is engaged by the simple expedient of extending one terminal of the clip beyond the body of the latter and reversely folding the same to form the eye. The eye is, of course, adapted to receive a connecting bolt which also extendsthrough one end of the conducting cable 11, as shown to advantage in Fig. 1.

If desired, in charging or testing storage batteries the clips may be used in pairs, one mounted on each end of a conducting cable 11 as shown to advantage in Fig. 1. When mounted in this manner it is obvious that either clip may be engaged with the storage battery, and correspondingly, either clipmay be engagedwith the charging board or charging line, in the same manner. jaws 6 and 12 over the battery terminals during which phase of operation pressure is exerted by the thumb on the bar 8. When the=jaws are. in position around the terminal, pressure is released from the bar 8 and the expansive" action of the spring urges the jaws into contiguous engage-- ment with the battery terminal. In view of the contour of the jaws 6 and 12, surfaoe'contact is. efiected throughout more than half of the circumference of the storage battery terminal to augmentconductivity and likewise to prevent casual displacement of the clip.

Engagement is effected by flexing the- Although I have herein described and shown the preferred form of my invention, it is understood various changes may be made in the construction, proportion and arrangement of parts, Within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What is claimed is:

1. An article of manufacture, comprising a Wire strand, one terminal and an intermediate part of which are? formed into opposed jaws, another intermediate part of the Wire being convoluted'to-form a spring for the jaws, the opposite terminal of the strand being looped to provide a cable anchoring Wire eye.

2.v A; storage battery clip including a single strand of Wire one end and a multistrand intermediate part of which are formed to provide opposedjaws of. a contour complementing the shape of the storage battery post, the proximate faces of said jaws being serrated to bite into the battery post, the opposite terminal of said strand beingformed to provide a conductor cable engaging terminal;

JAMES M; RICHARDSON. 

